“This largely forgotten but extravagantly gifted city planner supervised the construction of Central Park, developed upper Manhattan and midwifed the consolidation of Greater New York. It took Robert Moses, Fiorello LaGuardia and Franklin Roosevelt, drawing upon the combined resources of the federal, state and city governments, to exceed Green’s accomplishment.”
~ Thomas Kessner, Distinguished Professor of History, CUNY Graduate School
Andrew H. Green's remarkable career
A selective Andrew H. Green reading list
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History Lecture at MCNY and Ceremony at Green Memorial Bench, Saturday, November 7
On Saturday, November 7, Manhattan Borough Historian Michael Miscione will present an illustrated lecture titled The Life & Legacy of Andrew H. Green, Gotham's First Master Planner at the Museum of the City of New York. After the program attendees will be invited to walk to the Green Memorial Bench in Central Park, Mr. Green's only public monument in the five boroughs, to raise a toast in his honor.*
The lecture begins at 1:00p and is free with museum admission. The bench ceremony is expected to start at approximately 2:30p; it is entirely free and open to everyone, not just museum patrons.
Mr. Miscione has held a public toast at the bench every November since 2003. Last year's ceremony was somewhat subdued because of threatening skies, but some seventy individuals attended the 2007 tribute. Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer (red tie, in photo) and NYC Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe (bike helmet) were among them.
Details about the MCNY lecture
Map and directions to the Green Memorial Bench
Photo gallery of the 2007 ceremony
* Bench ceremony is subject to NYC Parks Department permit approval.
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openhousenewyork Bikers Trace Green's Career on Two Wheels
On Sunday, October 11, nearly twenty history-minded cyclists joined Manhattan Borough Historian Michael Miscione for Parks, Plans & Preservation: The Historic Andrew H. Green Bicycle Tour.
The 20-mile two-wheeled adventure was part of openhousenewyork (OHNY) Weekend, a citywide celebration of NYC's built environment. The riders made stops at several sites related to Mr. Green's career including City Hall, the Brooklyn Bridge, and Central Park. This was the second year that Mr. Miscione led a Green ride for OHNY.
Photo shows OHNY 2008 riders. |
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Free Online Access to Green-Related Historical Works
Thanks to Google Books and the New York State Library Digital Image Project, some important historical printed works related to Andrew H. Green's career are now available for online viewing and downloading.
The Life & Public Services of Andrew Haswell Green, by John Foord, 1913. (This is Green's official biography; see comments on Reading List page.)
The Laws Respecting the Central Park & Other Works. (Describes the legislation that, up to May 1870, gave Green's Central Park Commission its planning authority.)
Four consolidation-related writings in one volume by Andrew H. Green, 1893. (Communication by Andrew H. Green to the Legislature of the State of New York; text of the Act Creating the Commission of Inquiry; and two speeches by Green, the commission president, to the commissioners.)
The Greater New York. Reasons Why., by Edward C. Graves, 1894. (A pro-consolidation booklet intended to sway resistant Brooklynites.)
In the Matter of the Hearing in Relation to the Greater New York, 1896. (Transcripts of the testimony given at the public hearings held in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Albany regarding the consolidation question.)
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Acclaimed Book Cites Green's Pioneering Preservation Work
A recently released book by Anthony C. Wood titled "Preserving New York: Winning the Right to Protect A City's Landmarks" (Routledge Press) rightly credits Andrew H. Green as a driving force in New York's early preservation movement. Too often Mr. Green and the American Scenic & Historic Preservation Society, the organization that Mr. Green founded in 1895 to give a voice to the emerging preservation lobby, have been overlooked by historians. The book recounts the hard-fought struggle to create a legal mechanism to protect New York City's cherished landmarks.
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New York Daily News Supports Green Statue
In a ringing editorial published on May 8, 2006 the New York Daily News scolded city administrators for their lack of interest in the newly found Andrew H. Green statues. The paper criticized the city for treating Mr. Green, who they called a "titanic civic presence," with so little respect. They wrote, "How many even know his name? Disgraceful. Sad. Incomprehensible."
Read the entire editorial (middle of the page)
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TV News Program Reports Statue Find
On April 6, 2006 NY-1 TV introduced viewers to the newly found Andrew H. Green statues. Culture reporter Stephanie Simon (left) interviewed Michael Miscione, the man who located them, and Pulitzer-winning historian Mike Wallace. The NYC Parks Department restated its intention to name a park for Mr. Green in the future, but rejected the idea of erecting a bronze copy of one of the rediscovered artworks.
The complete story and a video download link |
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Lost Statues of Andrew H. Green Found in Maine Garage
In the fall of 2005, after months of tantalizing but fruitless historical detective work, Michael Miscione rediscovered in a Maine garage two different-sized plaster copies of a long-lost statue of Andrew H. Green. The larger of the two, about 32” tall and painted to look like bronze, is shown at left. According to Mr. Miscione’s research, the statues represent the only sculptural portrait of Mr. Green ever created, and are among the few surviving remnants of the New York City Golden Jubilee, a splashy but now forgotten municipal exposition held in 1948 to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the consolidation of the five boroughs.
The artworks belong to the daughter of Karl H. Gruppe, the now-deceased sculptor who created them. When Mr. Miscione contacted her she was unaware of the exact contents of the musty crates she had long ago stored in the back of her garage after her father’s death.
More images and details about the discovery, the Golden Jubilee, and Mr. Gruppe |
Got a question or comment?
Or, would you like to receive news about future Andrew H. Green talks, tours, and events?
As you probably guessed, this website was created by me, Michael Miscione. It is my labor of love to raise awareness for Andrew H. Green, our city's "Forgotten Giant," as a supportive Daily News editorial described him. Except for occasional speaking fees, I receive no payment for my efforts; so do not fear that this site is a front for some sinister commercial scam.
If you have any comments or questions, feel free to email me at mmiscione@yahoo.com, or call me at (212) 935-0462.
I have an informal mailing list to tell people about Green-related news and upcoming events. If you would like to be included, send me an email with as much information as you feel comfortable leaving (ideally your name, email address, mailing address, and phone number).
One closing remark about this website. It is very new and a work in progress. Hopefully it will get larger -- I certainly have enough material to fill quite a few more pages. Please bear with it (and me) in the meantime. Thanks.
Regards,
Michael Miscione
NOTE: The banner image at the top of the page shows a boating race on the Harlem River in 1902. On the left side of the photo is the Harlem River Speedway, where sporting New Yorkers would race and run their horses. In the background is the Washington Bridge, one of Andrew H. Green's many projects. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress. |
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